ZA200703129B - Improving the security of an explosives supply chain - Google Patents

Description

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IMPROVING THE SECURITY OF AN EXPLOSIVES SUPPLY CHAIN

The present invention relates to a method of improving the security associated with ~~. the supply of commercial explosives materials. More particularly, the present invention relates to the use of biometric authentication to restrict access of commercial explosives material to authorized personnel. The invention also relates to a system suitable for implementing the method of the invention.

The commercial use of explosives materials is very widespread, occurring for instance in mines and quarries around the world. Security associated with such use is important since, unfortunately, there is scope for misuse of the explosives materials, for example by terrorist organisations. Against this background the present invention seeks to provide a method of restricting access to commercial explosives materials to authorized personnel.

Accordingly, in one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of

I5 restricting access to a commercial explosives material to authorized personnel, which method comprises the steps: recording information relating to at least one biometric feature of a person seeking access to the commercial explosives material to provide a test biometric signature; comparing’ the test biometric signature with a registry of stored biometric signatures; and granting the person access to the commercial explosives material provided that the test biometric signature corresponds with a stored biometric signature for personnel authorized to have access to the commercial explosives material.

The present invention also provides a system for restricting access to a commercial explosives material, the system comprising: : a biometric analyzer for recording information relating to at least one biometric feature of a person to provide a test biometric signature; an access authorizing means for comparing the test biometric signature with a registry of stored biometric signatures; and an electronic mechanism operable under the control of the access authorizing means for granting access to the commercial explosives material when the test biometric

® : . signature has been found to correspond to a stored biometric signature for a person authorized to have access to the commercial explosives material.

The use of biometric authentication to control access to commercial explosives - materials is believed to represent a new and important advance in this particular field of industry.

Herein the term "commercial explosives material” is intended to embrace a variety of materials and/or components that are employed in commercial blasting operations such : as mining and quarrying. Thus, the term embraces explosives materials per se, such as packaged explosives (e.g. nitroglycerine, watergels, emulsion explosives) and bulk explosives (e.g. ANFO, HANFO, pumped emulsions and watergels). The term also embraces components that include explosives and that are required to initiate detonation of packaged and bulk explosives, such as detonators (pyrotechnic, electric and electronic) and boosters/primers. The term may also embrace precursor materials and/or precursor components that are required to manufacture explosives and explosives initiating devices.

The term may also extend to componentry that is non-explosive as such but that is nevertheless required to facilitate detonation of explosives as would be used in a commercial blasting operation. Such componentry may include control equipment, for example.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing definition that the invention aims to provided enhanced security by restricting access to commercial explosives and/or components that have potential to be misused and that are therefore likely to be a target for unauthorized/prohibited personnel.

In accordance with the present invention information relating to at least one biometric feature is recorded from a person seeking access to some commercial explosives material. This is done using a suitable biometric analyzer. This may be any device capable of scanning or otherwise analyzing one or more biometric features of an individual, i.e. the person seeking access to commercial explosives material. In the case where the biometric analyzer scans a physical biometric feature the device may include a camera such as a digital camera or RF scanning means. The biometric analyzer will usually also include storage means to store the image and means to communicate the image to an access authorizing means. Suitable biometric analyzers useful in the present

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. oo -3- invention are now readily available commercially. Examples (non-limiting) of biometric analyzers include the Sony™ FIU-700 Biometric Unit, those produced under the trade name “V-pass” by the company Bioscrypt, and those described in United States Patent 5,937,557, the content of which is incorporated by reference.

Biometric analyzers that may be used in the present invention are not limited to those that capture and process images comprising biometric features. In this regard, the expression “biometric analyzer” also includes devices that capture other biometric features including but not limited to voices (such analyzers may include a microphone and optionally sound recording means), DNA fingerprints (such analyzers may include DNA sampling, extraction and analysis means), and written signatures (such analyzers may include computer-based signatures analysis). Other biometric analyzers may involve the use of skin spectroscopy for example to measure surface or subcutaneous spectral properties of the skin.

Other biometric analyzers may detect vein patterns and include means for example to analyze finger vein patterns by the presence of haemoglobin in subcutaneous veins. Such

I5 finger vein pattern analyzers may be obtained from manufacturers such as Hitachi. The biometric analyser may be adapted to record one or more than one biometric feature as required. Enhanced security may be provided where a plurality of biometric features are recorded and used in accordance with the invention.

Under extreme circumstances one can envisage a scenario where a finger of an authorized person is removed by a terrorist for presentation to a fingerprint analyzer in order to gain access to commercial explosives material. To address such a possibility, a biometric analyzer may be used that is capable of scanning a biometric feature only from living tissue of a candidate person. For example, the use of an RF scanning device to map the surface contours of a fingerprint may rely upon electrical properties of living tissue to generate a scanning image. Therefore, an RF scanning device may be particularly preferred for fingerprint scanning since it will be less capable of generating a scanned image in the presence of non-living tissue. Suitable systems are known in the art. For example, US 5,719,950 describes a biometric access system in which a biometric feature is used in combination with a physiological assessment in order to validate a biometric signature.

The at least one biometric feature that is recorded may be any feature that is unique or substantially unique as between two or more persons. Preferably, a biometric feature is

> @ readily accessible and available for analysis or scanning via the biometric analyzer.

Biometric features may be selected from the following non-limiting group: a fingerprint, an iris, a retina, a face (entire or aspect thereof), a hand, a DNA fingerprint etc. Other biometric features include skin spectroscopy (including surface or deep skin spectroscopy), vein patterns such as finger vein patterns. As foreshadowed, the expression “biometric feature” is not limited to material (physical) features of a person, and may include for example, a voice or spoken word that can be recorded by a biometric analyzer for subsequent analysis, or a signature recognition for a written signature.

The step of recording at least one biometric feature of a person seeking access to the commercial explosives material results in the generation of what is termed herein as a test biometric signature. This is an electronic representation (typically in the form of a ' data packet or code) of the the at least one biometric feature that has been recorded. The biometric analyzer will automatically generate the test biometric signature following recordal of the at least one biometric feature. : :

Subsequently, the test biometric signature that has been generated is compared (electronically) against a registry of stored biometric signatures. The registry is a database of biometric signatures and is stored in a suitable memory means. Analogous to the test biometric signature, these biometric signatures are electronic representations that have been generated by the recordal of one or more relevant biometric features. The stored biometric signatures will typically be derived from biometric analysis of one or more persons who are regarded for the purposes of the invention as being authorized personnel.

If the result of the biometric test signature and stored biometric signature is that the two signatures correspond (match), the person seeking access to the commercial explosives material is recognised as authorized personnel and access is then granted. How this access is granted in practice is discussed below.

On the other hand, if the test biometric signature does not correspond to a stored biometric signature for an authorized person, access to the commercial explosives material will be denied. In this case, in an embodiment of the invention, the person seeking access to the commercial explosives material may be invited, by suitable message delivered by the biometric analyzer, to repeat the initial process of recording the at least one biometric feature. Another test biometric signature is then generated and compared to the registry of stored biometric signatures for authorized personnel. If a suitable match is found, access will be granted. Otherwise, access will continue to be denied. This embodiment may help to avoid authorized personnel being denied access to the commercial explosives material due to some error in recordal of the at least one biometric feature and/or when the biometric test signature is compared with the registry of stored biometric signatures.

Here it may be relevant to note that fingerprint scanning may be prone to complications imposed by the presence of dirt, scars, etc on the finger surface. To : overcome such anomalies, fingerprint images derived from biometric scanning may also be processed to improve image quality. Such processing may interpolate and smooth

I0 anomalies in the image to generate an image having a quality more suited for comparison : with stored biometric signatures. In preferred embodiments, the fingerprint image may be scored in terms of its quality and accuracy, such that images that fail to meet basic image quality requirements are rejected. In such case this event may trigger the request for repetition of the recordal process, as described above. In principle, such data or image

I5 processing to improve the “quality” of a test biometric signature may be applied to any form of biometric analysis other than fingerprint scanning.

The registry of stored biometric signatures may also include biometric signatures for one or more particular persons who are positively not authorized access to the commercial explosives material. This could be bona fide personnel that are authorized to have access to certain parts of a facility but not to other, perhaps more sensitive, parts of the same facility. Such persons could also be previously authorized personnel whose duties have now changed so that access is no longer appropriate. It is also possible that the registry will include the biometric signature for prohibited persons who are known by a law enforcement agency to be likely to be a potential security risk in the context of seeking access to commercial explosives materials, such as known criminals and terrorists.

Similarly, a prohibited person might be a person who has chosen to leave his/her place of employment, or who has been dismissed from his/her place of employment, under acrimonious circumstances.

For this step of the method of the invention a test biometric signature is taken to correspond to (or match) a stored biometric signature if the test biometric signature exhibits identical or similar features to a stored biometric signature sufficient to deduce

- that the test biometric signature is likely to be derived from the same biometric feature of the person. In this way, a determination can be made as to whether a test biometric signature is derived from an authorized or an unauthorized or prohibited person. It should be noted that to achieve correspondence, two biometric signatures need not be identical, but at least achieve a degree of similarity greater than a predetermined threshold. This threshold may vary as between biometric features.

The step of comparing the biometric test signature with a registry (database) of stored biometric signatures and granting or denying access to a person based on the results of the comparison is typically undertaken by an access authorizing means. This may be any device that is capable of undertaking the necessary comparison to determine if a test biometric signature corresponds with a stored biometric signature. Such devices are known in the art.

The access authorizing means may be provided as an integral part of the biometric . analyzer. However, for enhanced security, it is preferred that the access authorizing means

I5 is remote from but in signal communication with the biometric analyzer. i The access authorizing means will include a memory means, or be in communication with a memory means, for storing (a registry of) biometric signatures against which a test biometric signature is to be compared. If the access authorizing means is an integral part of the biometric analyzer, for the sake of security the memory means ) 20 may itself may be remote from the access authorizing means but in signal communication therewith. This said, the memory means may be provided in proximity to, i.e. local to, the biometric analyzer. As will be explained, the memory means, biometric analyzer and access authorizing means may actually be provided in a single portable device.

It will be appreciated that the access authorizing means and especially the memory means of stored biometric signatures are very important components to implementation of the present invention. It is preferred therefore that at least the memory means, and preferably both components, is/are located remote from the biometric analyzer and - configured to minimise or eliminate unauthorized access (hacking) in an attempt to by-pass the security method described herein.

The access authorizing means will also usually include communication means for communicating information over electrical wires or by wireless means to other

® 2007703129 components that are used, or may preferably be used, in the method of the present invention. The nature of such communications and of the components to which communications are sent will be explained below.

In one embodiment of the present invention the commercial explosives material may be accessed via a lockable door. Here the lock mechanism of the door may be electronically operated so that the door may be unlocked in response to a suitable signal transmitted to the locking mechanism by the access authorizing means when a test biometric signature has been found to correspond to the biometric signature of an authorized person. Such electronic locking mechanisms are commercially available.

This embodiment of the invention may be useful to restrict access to a store (magazine), container and the like, in which a commercial explosives material is stored.

This embodiment might have applicability for a manufacturer or distributor of commercial explosives material. The store may also be present on-site, i.e. at a location at which the commercial explosives material is to be used. This embodiment may also be applied to control access to vehicles that may be used to transport a commercial explosives material from place to place. In this case the electronic lock mechanism will control locking/unlocking of an access door or doors to the vehicle. Alternatively, or additionally, some operation of the vehicle may be controlled by an electronically actuatable mechanism under the control of the access authorizing means. For example, the mechanism may form part of the electronic ignition system of a vehicle so that the vehicle cannot be started unless and until access/authorization has been granted in accordance with the method of the present invention.

In the case of controlling access and/or use of a vehicle, in principle the present invention could be applied to any type of vehicle. In practice however it is envisaged that the invention would be applied to delivery vehicles (trucks), including mobile manufacturing units (MMUs), mobile charging units (MCUs), shot firer vehicles, and the like. In the same way the present invention may be allowed to restrict access to authorized personnel of equipment/functionality of a vehicle. Here it is relevant to note that a person authorized to drive a vehicle may not also be authorized to undertake some other functionality associated with the vehicle. such as the manufacture of explosives or loading of explosives into a blasthole. The present invention may be applied to ensure that relevant tasks are performed only by persons authorized to undertake those tasks.

In an embodiment of the invention the use of equipment to manufacture an explosive may be restricted to authorized personnel. Thus, activation of relevant equipment would be contingent upon the test biometric test signature of an intended user of the equipment corresponding to a stored biometric signature for personnel authorised to use the equipment. The equipment may be fixed (at a manufacturing facility, access to which may be controlled in accordance with the present invention) or mobile (possibly mounted on a vehicle the access or control of which is administered in accordance with the present invention).

In another embodiment the present invention may be employed to restrict use to authorized personnel of equipment for loading/pumping explosive. Here the intention may be to prevent unauthorized removal from a store (access to which may be controlled in accordance with the present invention) and/or placement of an explosive at a site where the explosive is to be detonated. The equipment may be a pump, or the like, and may be fixed or mobile.

As will be appreciated embodiments of the invention may be combined in the overall context of manufacture, supply and/or use of explosives to provide a suitably high level of security as required.

In an embodiment of the present invention where a person has attempted to access (or manufacture or load) commercial explosives materials in accordance with the present invention herein and it has been determined on the basis of the test biometric signature for that person that he/she is an unauthorized or prohibited person, the access authorizing means may generate a warning signal (alarm). This warning signal is usually sent to the relevant authorities without the unauthorized/prohibited person knowing about it. The warning signal is preferably sent immediately following determination that the test biometric signature has been derived from an unauthorized/prohibited person. The warning signal will usually also include information about the location at which access has been attempted. This may enable the unauthorized/prohibited person to be intercepted by the relevant authorities.

As a further security measure, in addition to biometric signatures for authorized persons, the registry of biometric signatures may also include for the same authorized

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® : persons a duress biometric signature. This is a predetermined biometric signature that is intended to signify that the person seeking access to the commercial explosives material, even though an authorized person, is acting against his/her will. For example, if an authorized person is forced to input a fingerprint for biometric analysis, he/she may deliberately present a finger for analysis that he/she will know will generate a duress biometric signature. Thus, whereas an authorized person will know that under normal circumstances their index finger is to be used for biometric analysis, under duress another (predetermined) fingers is used in the knowledge that this will generate a duress biometric signature. In turn, when the access authorizing means recognises a duress biometric signature, a warning can be sent to relevant authorities for action. It may be helpful for the duress biometric signature to grant access to the commercial explosive material to avoid alerting the person forcing the authorized person to act against their will. Similarly, the warning that is generated will not be seen or heard at the point at which biometric analysis takes place.

The biometric analyzer may have a fixed location. For example, where biometric analysis in accordance with the method described herein is used to determine when a door should be locked/unlocked, the biometric analyzer may be provided as part of the electronic lock mechanism of the door. However, in an alternative embodiment of the invention the biometric analyzer may be present in the form of a portable device that in use 20- will be interfaced with relevant componentry, such as the electronic lock mechanism of a door, in order to control the componentry on the basis of a test biometric signature generated by recordal by the biometric analyzer of a biometric feature. In this embodiment the portable device may be adapted to communicate the test biometric signature to a separate access authorizing means. This communication may take place over electrical wires or it may take place wirelessly. For enhanced security, the access authorizing means may be provided at a location remote from where the portable device is interfaced with the relevant componentry. Alternatively, the access authorizing means may be provided as an integral part of said componentry.

In an alternative embodiment, in addition to a biometric analyzer, the portable device further includes an access authorizing means to allow the decision regarding whether a person is an authorized person to be made on the portable device. For example,

the portable device may comprise a database of known biometric signatures of authorized personnel. In this way, a candidate person may present himself/herself to input one or more biometric features for recordal and processing by the portable device. The decision regarding whether the person is authorized or not may then be read directly off the portable device, for example by placing the portable device into one or more appropriate reader units associated with the componentry that is to be controlled, such as the electronic lock mechanism of a door. In this way, the biometric signature of the candidate person may be maintained on the portable device, which may be ‘blanked’ (i.e. all biometric feature and biometric signature data erased) on a routine basis. In addition, in this embodiment the database comprising biometric features is preferably maintained on the portable device, rather than residing in a permanent and (local or remote) central registry (database), which may be more susceptible to unauthorized access and abuse.

In an embodiment of the invention, the portable device may take the form of a “smart card”. More preferably, the smart card may take the form of a credit card shaped

I5 device that can be easily carried. Each smart card may include on the card the identification of the person to whom the card has been assigned, together with an electronic memory for storing information relating to the biometric features or biometric signature(s) of that person. The card may then be read by an appropriate card reader, associated for example with one or more relevant components. In preferred embodiments, each smart card may include a biometric analyzer to record biometric data from a person, and preferably process the biometric data to generate a test biometric signature. In other embodiments, the smart card may further include a database of authorized biometric signatures, such that all processes to generate a test biometric signature and for comparing the test biometric signature with biometric signatures of authorized personnel, can be completed by the smart card even prior to insertion of the smart card into the reader.

Preferably, the reader only retrieves an “authorized” or “not authorized” message from the smart card, such that the relevant access componentry, e.g. an electronic lock mechanism, is activated or deactivated accordingly.

The use of a smart card (or indeed any portable device) where the database is maintained thereupon, avoids the need for a separate database, for example, in a remote location. This presents the advantage that the biometric signatures, and the personal

® privacy and security of those signatures, are retained on a personal device, perhaps making them less prone to interception and abuse by unauthorized persons seeking to retrieve biometric information for breeching privacy or for illicit purposes. In this regard, the database can be written and removed from a smart card or equivalent device as required.

In a preferred embodiment, the smart card (or other portable device) may include a

GPS device, such that the location of the smart card, the person in possession of the card, and/or the place at which the card is used, can be recorded. Such location information may be stored for future use, or may be used to determine whether the person is in a desired (or required) position to warrant relevant componentry required to provide access to the commercial explosives material.

In further embodiments, a smart card (or other portable storage device) may be used in conjunction with a security PIN, or other form of alphanumeric or numeric code.

For example, to activate one or more components an authorized person may be required to input a biometric feature into the apparatus via one or more smart cards, and also input a specific PIN code into one or more components for activation thereof. Each PIN code may be specific to an authorized person, to a particular intended access event, or to a combination thereof,

It will be appreciated from preceding discussion that there are a number of permutations as to the location of the biometric analyzer, access authorizing means and memory means (including a registry of biometric signatures), and the form in which these components are provided. Thus, the biometric analyzer may be provided at the location at which access to the commercial explosives material will take place, for example it may be adjacent to, or an integral part of, an electronic door mechanism. Alternatively, the biometric analyzer may be incorporated as part of a portable device. Similar possibilities apply for the access authorizing means and memory means. For added security, one or both of these latter components may also be provided at a location remote from the biometric analyzer or point at which the biometric analyzer interfaces with relevant componentry, such as an electronic door mechanism. Practical permutations for these components will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. :

Claims (31)

cL. CLAIMS

1. A method of restricting access to a commercial explosives material to authorized personnel, which method comprises the steps: recording information relating to at least one biometric feature of a person seeking access to the commercial explosives material to provide a test biometric signature; comparing the test biometric signature with a registry of stored biometric signatures; and granting the person access to the commercial explosives material provided that the [0 test biometric signature corresponds with a stored biometric signature for personnel authorized to have access to the commercial explosives material.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the commercial explosives material is a bulk or packaged explosive.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the commercial explosives material is a detonator, booster or primer.

4, A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the step of recording information relating to at least one biometric feature is carried out using a biometric analyzer and the step of comparing the test biometric signature with the registry of stored biometric signatures is carried out using an access authorizing means.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the biometric analyzer and the access authorizing means are provided remote from each other.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the access authorizing means is an integral part of the biometric analyzer and wherein the access authorizing means is in communication with memory means in which is stored the registry of biometric signatures, the memory means being provided at a location remote from the access authorizing means.

7. A method according to claim 4, wherein the access authorizing means is in communication with an electronic mechanism that controls access to the commercial explosives material.

8. A method according to claim 4, wherein the biometric analyzer and access authorizing means are incorporated in a portable device that is adapted to be interfaced with an electronic mechanism that controls access to the commercial explosive material.

9. A method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the electronic mechanism is an electronic lock mechanism.

10. A method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the electronic mechanism is an electronic ignition system of a vehicle. IS

Il. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the stored registry of biometric signatures includes a duress biometric signature for authorized personnel and wherein a warning signal is generated when the test biometric signature corresponds to a duress biometric signature for authorized personnel.

12. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the stored registry of biometric signatures includes biometric signatures for unauthorized or prohibited persons and wherein a warning signal is generated when the test biometric signature corresponds to a biometric signature for an unauthorized or prohibited person.

13. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a physiological feature of the person is also recorded and analyzed in order to validate the test biometric signature.

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14. A system for restricting access to commercial explosives material to authorized personnel, which system comprises: a biometric analyzer for recording information relating to at least one biometric feature of a person to provide a test biometric signature; an access authorizing means for comparing the test biometric signature with a registry of stored biometric signatures; and an electronic mechanism operable under the control of the access authorizing means for granting access to the commercial explosives material when the test biometric signature has been found to correspond to a stored biometric signature for a person authorized to have access to the commercial explosives material.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein the biometric analyzer and the access authorizing means are provided remote from each other.

16. A system according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the access authorizing means is an integral part of the biometric analyzer and wherein the access authorizing means is in communication with memory means in which is stored the registry of biometric signatures, the memory means being provided at a location remote from the access authorizing means.

I7. A system according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the access authorizing means is in communication with an electronic mechanism that controls access to the commercial explosives material.

18. A system according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the biometric analyzer and access authorizing means are incorporated in a portable device that is adapted to be interfaced with an electronic mechanism that controls access to the commercial explosive material.

19. A system according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the electronic mechanism is an electronic lock mechanism.

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20. A system according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the electronic mechanism is an electronic ignition system of a vehicle.

21. A system according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the stored registry of biometric signatures includes a duress biometric signature for authorized personnel and wherein an alarm is generated when the test biometric signature corresponds to a duress biometric signature for authorized personnel.

22. A system according to any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein the stored registry of biometric signatures includes biometric signatures for unauthorized or prohibited persons and wherein an alarm is generated when the test biometric signature corresponds to a biometric signature for an unauthorized or prohibited person. IS

23. A system according to any one of claims 14 to 22, wherein the system includes means for recording and analysing a physiological feature of the person in order to validate the test biometric signature. :

24. A method of restricting access to a commercial explosives material to authorized personnel, which method comprises the steps: recording information relating to at least one biometric feature of a person seeking access to the commercial explosives material to provide a test biometric signature; comparing the test biometric signature with a registry of stored biometric signatures; and granting the person access to the commercial explosives material provided that the test biometric signature corresponds with a stored biometric signature for personnel authorized to have access to the commercial explosives material, wherein the step of recording information relating to at least one biometric feature is carried out using a biometric analyzer and the step of comparing the test biometric signature with the registry of stored biometric signatures is carried out using an access * authorizing means, and

® wherein the biometric analyzer and the access authorizing means are provided remote from each other..

25. A method of restricting access to a commercial explosives material to authorized personnel, which method comprises the steps: recording information relating to at least one biometric feature of a person seeking access to the commercial explosives material to provide a test biometric signature; comparing the test biometric signature with a registry of stored biometric signatures; and granting the person access to the commercial explosives material provided that the test biometric signature corresponds with a stored biometric signature for personnel authorized to have access to the commercial explosives material, wherein the step of recording information relating to at least one biometric feature is carried out using a biometric analyzer and the step of comparing the test biometric IS signature with the registry of stored biometric signatures is carried out using an access authorizing means, and wherein the access authorizing means is an integral part of the biometric analyzer and wherein the access authorizing means is in communication with memory means in which is stored the registry of biometric signatures, the memory means being provided at a location remote from the access authorizing means.

26. A method of restricting access to a commercial explosives material to authorized personnel, which method comprises the steps: recording information relating to at least one biometric feature of a person seeking access to the commercial explosives material to provide a test biometric signature; comparing the test biometric signature with a registry of stored biometric signatures; and granting the person access to the commercial explosives material provided that the test biometric signature corresponds with a stored biometric signature for personnel authorized to have access to the commercial explosives material,

® wherein the step of recording information relating to at least one biometric feature is carried out using a biometric analyzer and the step of comparing the test biometric signature with the registry of stored biometric signatures is carried out using an access authorizing means, wherein the access authorizing means is in communication with an electronic mechanism that controls access to the commercial explosives material, and wherein the electronic mechanism is an electronic ignition system of a vehicle.

27. A system for restricting access to commercial explosives material to authorized personnel, which system comprises: a biometric analyzer for recording information relating to at least one biometric feature of a person to provide a test biometric signature; an access authorizing means for comparing the test biometric signature with a registry of stored biometric signatures; and an electronic mechanism operable under the control of the access authorizing means for granting access to the commercial explosives material when the test biometric signature has been found to correspond to a stored biometric signature for a person authorized to have access to the commercial explosives material, and wherein the biometric analyzer and the access authorizing means are provided remote from each other.

28. A system for restricting access to commercial explosives material to authorized personnel, which system comprises: a biometric analyzer for recording information relating to at least one biometric feature of a person to provide a test biometric signature; an access authorizing means for comparing the test biometric signature with a registry of stored biometric signatures; and an electronic mechanism operable under the control of the access authorizing means for granting access to the commercial explosives material when the test biometric signature has been found to correspond to a stored biometric signature for a person authorized to have access to the commercial explosives material, and

@ wherein the access authorizing means is an integral part of the biometric analyzer and wherein the access authorizing means is in communication with memory means in which is stored the registry of biometric signatures, the memory means being provided at a location remote from the access authorizing means.

29. A system for restricting access to commercial explosives material to authorized personnel, which system comprises: a biometric analyzer for recording information relating to at least one biometric feature of a person to provide a test biometric signature;’ an access authorizing means for comparing the test biometric signature with a registry of stored biometric signatures; and an electronic mechanism operable under the control of the access authorizing means for granting access to the commercial explosives material when the test biometric signature has been found to correspond to a stored biometric signature for a person I5 authorized to have access to the commercial explosives material, wherein the access authorizing means is in communication with an electronic mechanism that controls access to the commercial explosives material, and wherein the electronic mechanism is an electronic ignition system of a vehicle.

30. A method of restricting access to a commercial explosives material to authorized personnel substantially as hereinbefore described.

31. A system for restricting access to a commercial explosives material to authorized personnel substantially as hereinbefore described. :

25 . Dated this 19%~ day of Aen! gee: Patent J Agent for the Applicant